Google Smartphone Can't 'Out-Apple' iPhone: Strategist

Who is ahead in the smartphone war and which stocks are riding it? Benjamin Schacter, Internet analyst at Broadpoint AmTech, and Pip Coburn, founder and chief executive of Coburn Ventures, discussed their views. (See Coburn's stock recommendations, below.)

“This is certainly a core area for [Google] to get into and they’re going to give it their all. Today is just the Day One of what their attempts are in mobile,” Schacter told CNBC. “Whether it’s a game changer has yet to be seen, but the phone will draw a lot of attention.”

Schacter said while Google stock is mainly driven by advertising and search, it's “critically important” for the company to enter the mobile phone and hardware area.

In the meantime, Coburn said he doesn’t think the Google phone will dominate.

“I don’t think they’re 'out-Appling' Apple [iPhone] or a game changer,” he said. “But all of us using data enabled smartphones is really good for Google.”

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Coburn said he is long on Google stock because of the company's presence in the advertising and the search area—and not because of the new phone.

“So many of the things that they’re trying to do are to further search and advertising in mobile ways,” he said. “In five years, 80 percent of searches will be done on mobile devices, not computers, and Google wants to be there. So they want to have their nose in their game.”

Coburn said he also likes Apple and Research in Motion. “We’re long both of them right now,” he added.